Education correlates with willingness to vote for Democrats and progressives.

Conservative news stations like the Murdoch’s networks dominate cable news and are very high ranking on Sattelite. Last few years many local broadcast stations were also bought out by conservatives.

Another nail in the coffin is fossil fuels. Coal and Oil are the lifebloods of some regions like the Bakken Shelf of North Dakota. They’re afraid of the environmental policies.

Finally, Religion. Evangelicals and other anti-abortion christian denominations dominate small towns.